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The Pinan-Heian Series as a Fighting System

Welcome to the final part of this series of articles on the Pinan / Heian katas as a fighting system. So far in this series we looked at the background of the Pinan katas and discussed that they are said to represent a complete fighting system that contains techniques for use at all stages and all ranges of a fight. We also discussed that whilst the modern order in which the Pinan series are taught is based upon the relative technical difficulty of the solo performance of the forms, the original order is based upon the progression of a live fight.

Welcome to part four of this series of articles on the Pinan and Heian katas as a fighting system. In the first of this series of articles, we looked at the background of the Pinan / Heian katas and discussed how they are said to represent a complete fighting system that contains techniques for use at all stages and all ranges of a fight. We also discussed that whilst the modern order in which the forms are taught is based upon the relative technical difficulty of the solo performance of the forms, the original order is based upon the progression of a live fight.

The Pinan / Heian series are often the first katas taught in the majority of modern dojos. This can lead to the Pinan / Heian katas being thought of as nothing more than introductory forms that are really only suitable for children and junior grades. However, it is my belief that the Pinan / Heian katas are grossly undervalued and do in fact represent a coherent fighting system in their own right. It is this viewpoint that we will be exploring in this series of articles.